Primate
by vanhunks
Summary: A J/C story. A little primate watches a woman goddess and a man warrior become friend-mates. A coda on the episode "Resolutions" Written in the POV of the little primate.


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Primate

A New Earth story as seen through the eyes of 

a little primate

by

vanhunks

DISCLAIMER: Even the little primate belongs to Paramount. But, I gave her a name!

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RATING: G

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SUMMARY: A little primate watches a woman goddess and a man warrior become friend-mates. A coda on the episode "Resolutions"

I must be one of the very last persons to write something about the episode "Resolutions". I was reading wonderful codas on this episode long before I actually watched it for the first time. Well, here's my little contribution to the pairing Janeway and Chakotay.

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Note: _It's in the POV of a little animal. Many references will be written in very simple - or poetic - expressions to indicate the creature's visual world. _

A very simple tale...

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PRIMATE

*

Storm.

It was the great rumbling of the skies, when dark clouds gathered and white stones fell, when the cries of the animals could no more be heard above the cries of the winds, when the winds searched through every tree and every branch; when the earth heaved to spew forth old things long hidden. 

The waters ran from the river and crept far into the forest.

The angry winds turned the trees upside down and broke them. 

The gods spoke. Their eyes flashed silver sparks. Where the sparks touched a branch, the flames licked hungrily. 

Her dress was the colour of the great waters. Her eyes were the colour of the skies. Her hair was the colour of the sun as it moved beyond the forest towards its resting place.

The little primate scurried and cried helplessly.

She watched her goddess fall, the goddess with the sun in her hair. 

Her goddess fell many times.

A man came. Somehow, the little animal knew he would come. The man called her goddess' name. The animal tried to imitate the sound. 

The sound was like the rushing of the streams after the rains: 

Kathryn...Kathryn...Kathryn... 

* 

The furry primate became their unseen companion and lived with them from day to day.

She heard them utter sounds that she could not understand, but she was calmed by the tone of their voices.

"Your tomato plants seem to behave themselves, Kathryn," she heard the man warrior say.

"They'd better. I'm their captain," said the woman animal, the goddess. 

"Kathryn, Kathryn," the man warrior answered, "I feel sorry for them. They have no choice but to grow up soon."

Then the primate heard sounds that were not the same as when the two friend-mates spoke with each other. It was a sound that was as bright as the morning. It was their Laughter. It was the sound that she always heard when the Gladness came in their hearts. She moved silently closer and watched her goddess who seemed small when she stood next to the man warrior. The goddess touched his cheek with the palm of her hands. 

The primate looked at her own hands, palms up. She placed her palm against her own cheek. She looked at the man warrior and saw the light of the morning sun come in his eyes. She knew then that he had the Gladness. 

*

Often the furry creature heard their laughter. Her own heart filled and overflowed when she witnessed how her goddess touched the man warrior's cheek, or when he smiled in return. 

"This could be home," the goddess said to the man warrior.

"Yes, home..." he said as he looked into the goddess' eyes.

The creature saw her goddess' eyes when the man warrior showed her something.

"You're not allowed to peek yet, Kathryn," the furry creature heard the man say.

"How can I when your hands cover my eyes, Chakotay?"

Where she had remained as quiet as the fleet-of-foot spider-eater, the little primate heard her lady say the name. She pursed her lips to mouth it. There was no sound as she tried: 

__

cha-ko-tay...

"Okay, you can look now."

The creature clasped her hands together, mimicking her goddess. She felt a lightness inside her and knew that it was the Gladness. The lady Kathryn smiled. She touched the man cha-ko-tay on his lips. The creature looked at her fingers, then she brought them to her lips and held them there. She pressed into her fingers. 

It felt...good... 

** 

He sat on a rock close to the rushing waters of the stream. The sun was high, and it shone on the water. The primate sat not far away from the big man warrior. 

"I will build a boat for you, Kathryn..." the man cha-ko-tay said. 

"I will build a boat..."

The man cha-ko-tay was deep in thought again. The animal sensed that the sounds were like a promise. So she stayed with the man cha-ko-tay until the morning came again, then followed him back to where the goddess was waiting...

** 

The little primate sat in the clearing and shuffled backwards as her goddess approached. Then the goddess stood still and she bent down.

"Hello there..." her goddess breathed again. The woman Kathryn's hair shone on the golden sun, and the light was in her eyes. She held out her hand to the little animal.

"We can be friends..."

The creature stepped forward.

"Don't be afraid..."

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I - am - not - afraid - 

"a - ma- ra -"

The little animal cocked her head to the side.

"Yes... we call you a-ma-ra..."

__

a - ma - ra - 

Amara scurried away into the forest, before Kathryn could touch her.

** 

Amara saw the man cha-ko-tay touch Kathryn's hair. It fell long over her shoulders and it shone in the light that was made by the lamp. 

It was sad inside her when Kathryn stood up, and told the man cha-ko-tay to stop. When she saw Kathryn's eyes, it seemed to Amara that she could hear the rains again as they fell softly to kiss the carpet of leaves. Amara could not understand how there could be at once a sadness and a happiness in her goddess' eyes, but she sensed it. 

Kathryn was restless.

Where Amara sat on the branch of the tree outside the shelter and looked through the window, she could see the two figures sitting. The light of the lamp made her hair shine, and Amara could even see the strange mark on cha-ko-tay's face. 

For a long time the man cha-ko-tay's lips moved. 

When cha-ko-tay stopped, Amara saw her Kathryn smile, and it was as if she could hear again the soft rain on the leaves. Kathryn's hand reached out and cha-ko-tay placed his palm against hers.

Their fingers linked.

Amara's heart filled.

She scurried away into the depths of the dark woods.

Now she was happy. They were happy. She will not come again soon.

** 

Amara sat at the edge of the clearing and watched her two friend-mates. They were in strange clothing. 

She jumped up and down in distress at the unfamiliar sight. 

Kathryn and Chakotay stood, arms stiffly at their sides. They did not look at each other as they always did. 

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Look - at - him, - my - goddess - , Amara seemed to tell them

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Touch - her - face, - cha-ko-tay...

Amara jumped in frenzied pain at the sight of her two friend-mates who did not talk to each other anymore.

Kathryn came forward, and tried to touch Amara, but the little creature was too distressed and jumped away, afraid. 

Kathryn sighed, then straightened again and stood next to the man _cha-ko-tay._

They did not talk. 

They did not touch.

They did not smile.

The sun was gone.

The sky turned blue one last time. 

Amara looked. They were gone.

** 

On the bridge of the starship Voyager, the Captain leaned over and said to her first officer:

"I miss our little friend..."

"She was part of the spell, Captain," he said softly.

Kathryn Janeway sighed and sat back in her chair. She stared at the viewscreen. She dared not look at Chakotay again. Her fingers tightened on the armrests of her chair as she tried to keep a lightness in her voice:

"Yes, she was indeed part of the spell."

**

In the clearing of the shelter on New Earth, a little primate sat next to a bedding of tomato bushes. She looked curiously at the little red fruits, then picked one from its branch.

She gave an excited little screech first, jumped a few times up and down, and then brought the fruit to her mouth. 

The juice and seeds spurted from the fruit as she bit into it. 

Amara looked with longing at the sky...

**

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end.

P.S. This story has a sequel. Wanna read?


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